


Eve

by Skythewalker



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Original Character-centric, Original Pokemon Region
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-02 02:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21154040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skythewalker/pseuds/Skythewalker
Summary: In the far off region of Akiro, Pokémon are considered dangerous beasts that must be kept away from humans, belonging only to the wealthy elite. There is one exception to this rule- The Pallet Academy of Pokémon. Ashe has studied her whole life to one day be able to train at this school, but things only become more complicated once she arrives. Thrust into a world of darkness, will the plucky few be able to foster the spark of light?





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting anything like this, so any issues with the writing or formatting are still my fault, but at least I have an excuse. Short, but having it out there will help me motivate myself.

The deep greys of the inside of the bus provided a deep contrast to the tall, vibrant gates of Pallet Academy. Ashe's hands clutched at the handle of her bag containing all her possessions - at least all that mattered. 

To say Ashe was excited was an understatement. Every kid wanted to go to Pallet Academy. That was just a a fact of life. But she'd worked hard, studied, fought, cried and studied even more and she was here. She was part of the elite. Her breath caught just thinking about it. And, surrounding her was a group of roughly twenty other students from the region of Akiro who had clawed there ways to a spot here. They sat like sardines in a tin, all packed together in a bus that could barely contain there collective excitement.  
Any notion that maybe this wouldn't live up to her expectations were dashed when she saw it. A real life Pokémon. It had been years… She shook her head, focusing on the here and the now. Was that… A Dragonite off in the distant? She was enthralled watching it soar through the sky, expertly ducking and weaving through training obstacles and releasing bright bursts of controlled power. She shivered just from the sight of it. She was snapped out of her reverie when the bus shuddered to a stop and a pristine middle aged woman made her way up the steps to board. She had her lips pursed tightly and meeting her gaze made Ashe want to shrink away. “With me, children.” She stated before taking small, neat steps down out of the bus. Part of her was annoyed. Children? She was sixteen. No child would ever have a chance of getting into Pallet Academy. She grit her teeth and stayed quiet as the others bustled around her collecting up bags. She only had the one, and as soon as she stood she was caught in the tide of people and carried off of the bus.

She was glad for the fresh air. The drive had been a long one from her small home town, and they’d stopped a lot to pick up other students along the way. It was almost claustrophobic being surrounded by so many people her age when compared to her home. She glanced up to the middle aged woman who already had a sour look as if there had been some test they’d all just failed. “Come along.” She stated, and flipped around while walking inside in one fluid motion.  
Her attention free again Ashe realised with a gasp they’d reached Pallet Academy. She’d seen plenty of pictures of it before, maybe admired them more than she’d admit, but seeing it in real life was staggering. If there was one word to describe it, it had to be jutting. It jutted out at every angle. Long ago, it had been a heavily fortified stone castle for that functioned as a lavish home and a military stronghold, evidenced by the four tall towers on the corners and the broad moat surrounding the building. However, it had recently been converted to house the destructive power of young people and Pokémon, fixing parts that had began to collapse with juxtaposing modern materials, or even adding whole sections on varying floors.But more than anything, it was tall. Her home would have fit in to this so many times even Ashe couldn't figure it out, and the maths she’d had to learn to get into this school had been intense.

An imposing drawbridge lay down in front of the group, the heels of the woman clicking against it as she entered. Ashe was nervous stepping towards it, feeling like she was entering the maw of some horrible legendary Pokémon but her peers didn’t seem to be bothered so she caught quickly up. She didn’t want to stand out on the first day, if not for the sake of her embarrassment but for strategy. She needed to be as indistinguishable from everyone else as possible. That was one of the rules of being a Pokémon trainer she’d had drilled into her: Find a flaw un your opponent and drive in your advantage. She could be competing against her classmates at any time throughout the year and showing indecisiveness would only make her that much easier to beat. That much easier for her dreams to slip through her fingers.

The others were leaning there heads over the drawbridge. She copied them and couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as she saw the moat filled with water Pokémon. She could identify some goldeen and poliwags but anything deeper than that was impossible to make out. Sure, they weren’t as impressive as the dragonite, but she almost felt as if she could reach out and touch them. Of course, she wouldn’t. Every child in the Akiro region were taught how dangerous it was to touch one of them, but she couldn’t silence that part of her mind that desperately wanted to fo it anyway. 

She nearly stumbled into the water when she felt a strong push to her side. She whipped around, not confident in her abilities but instinctually raising her fists. She was shocked to meet the eyes of a boy, her age, who was evidently another student. He seemed familiar from the bus. A grin was quickly fading from his face as he frantically shook his hands in apology. “Oh, I didn’t mean to- I was so exci- I’m sorry.” The words were thrown out of his mouth with such frenetic guilt Ashe couldn’t even begin to be angry with him, even if he’d nearly just killed her 

“Oh, no it’s fine. I suppose it was both our faults getting so engrossed with the sight of the Pokémon.” She was struck suddenly by how much the boy reminded her of a puppy: Wide eyes and an intense need to be liked. He was big, at least a head or two above her and wider too. There wasn’t much muscle underlying his skin, but he wasn’t exactly skinny. He seemed nice. He muttered more frantic apologies before trotting off again, grin widening at the sights around him. She found it was infectious, a little worm of a smile manifesting across her own face. She quickly straightened it out. Show no weakness around potential opponents.

They entered the school, the doorway towering above the heads of each of them, spacious enough to let 10 of them through at once. They came into a long hallway littered with doors on every side and a ceiling that stretched up forever. At the end of the hallway was another doorway leading into an even grander room. The walk through the hallway was beginning to become an exercise, but eventually they came out through the end to a grand dining room. Or, at least, it was technically a dining room. She would have said it was closer to a banquet hall, or some ball room. There were no windows due to its positioning in the castle, but it was bathed in warm light from the ceiling. She got the impression that once chandeliers had hung up there, but now all there was were modern lights. They all shuffled inside, but they only filled the smallest of corners. The woman made a sharp gesture and they all inferred they should take a seat at one of the many long tables that sat in the hall, and none of them wanted to argue with her. 

“Students of Pallet Academy,” The woman said. Ashe had had time to come to terms with the fact she’d made it in, but hearing it said out loud still had an effect on her. “Congratulations on making it in to the Akiro region’s most prodigious academy. You select few have been chosen to become trainers and work with Pokémon. Please do not treat this opportunity with a lack of respect, nor caution. Pokémon are dangerous creatures. This is why you will not be permitted to touch, fell or otherwise interact with any Pokemon for at least a week until you have demonstrated the proper skill to be allowed contact with them, and even then you will only be allowed to interact with the most docile, weak and young creatures we have here. Your first lesson will be tomorrow morning at 9 O’clock, anything earlier or later will have serious repercussions. Make no mistake, you got in because you are the best, but we will have no problem replacing you if need be. Between now and tomorrow you may roam the grounds, but no contact with the Pokémon. Your dormitories are back down the hall, the first exit to your left. Remember, we will know if you step out of line. I must attend to some more new arrivals but I wish you all the best of luck.” She turned on her heel with such intensity Ashe could feel a slight breeze.

She had said the whole speech as if she was reading off a cue card, and she doubted any of it was sincere, only seeming to show anger when she talked about them getting too close to the Pokémon. Noone clapped. None of it mattered to Ashe though, her mind was too preoccupied with what wonders the year might have in store for her, or even just the day. She barely noticed when the students glanced at each other, shrugging and heading in the direction of the dormitories. She joined at the back of the group, surveying everyone. Two or three people were carrying huge amounts of bags which she immediately registered as a mistake on there part. If they were entering the academy with any other plans than singe minded work towards graduating they weren’t going to last long. All you needed was the bare essentials, and the academy would supply anything relevant to there training. She noticed the boy from earlier was one such person with far too much luggage. 

They made it to a staircase when she heard a couple loud moans from the people at the front. She straightened herself out, alert and peering out at whatever was going on. They seemed to be crowding around something “We have shared rooms…” A voice announced, and a ripple of annoyed sounds waved through the crowd of them. She didn’t see why some of them were so surprised, it had said this online. Then again, she had to admit she’d been a little shocked. The thought may have slipped her mind in the excitement of all this. 

One by one people filtered up the stairs until everyone had thinned enough to let Ashe see the poster detailing which room they were each in. She was in a room with someone called Rissa on the second floor she noted as she began the climb upwards. She was already beginning to realise just getting around this monolith of a building would be training in and of itself. 

Before she knew it she reached the door. Behind it was the beginning of her future- a future, against all odds, actually containing Pokemon, Behind this door was an entrance to everything she had ever wanted. Behind that door, she thought as the door scanned her phone and let her in, was… A short, electric yellow hair coloured girl with a scowl on her face. 

“You’re Ashe?” She said, quick and intense like each word was a round of bullets. 

“Yes. You’re Rissa?” Ashe responded. 

“I am.” She said n a very final tone. Ashe stepped inside, noting the room. A small table sat in the centre, a window at the end, a small sofa on the side and some shelving by the door. It was sparse, but in a practical sense. Ashe approved. To each side was a door. 

“Do you mind which side room I take?” Ashe asked. The girl named Rissa shot her a look up from the phone she’d been looking at.

“I’m on the left. Not that I care or anything, but I’ve already unpacked.” She was right. Ashe noticed the right door led to a mostly empty open room while the one on the left’s door had already been shut. 

Either girl seemed to want to talk to the other, so while Ashe unpacked they both stayed in a painful silence. Ashe got the distinct impression the girl viewed her as a threat. Of course, Ashe viewed her as one as well, but in a tactical don’t let anyone get too close kind of way. The other girl seemed to treat her like some kind of live grenade that could go off as soon as she lowered her guard. 

Ashe closed the door and flopped onto the stiff bed as soon as she was finished unpacking her few possessions. She lay there for a few moments, appreciating the moment. The moment when the world was tensed and lithe; primed to run forward in time and show her her journey. But for now, for this one precious second, it was all quiet. For a second it was like the world stopped spinning at all, and it was only her. 

And then the world started spinning hard as she heard a scream come from somewhere outside the room.


	2. Tiny Mouse VS Full Size Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from OK to not OK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking back on it, this should have been part of chapter one from the beginning, but what's done is done.

She cracked up like a whip, suddenly on her feet. The screaming was still ringing out across the rooms. She ran to the door, flinging it open. She saw that her roommate, Rissa had a feral look on her face, desperately trying to identify the problem. Ashe imagined she herself looked much the same.  
The two of them made for the door out to the dormitory hallway. They made it at the same time and neither wanted to let each other go through first for a moment until Ashe relented. She would concede a small victory if it meant keeping the peace between the both of them. She had to think of her studies and a tenuous relationship with her roommate may threaten them.  
They both barreled out into the hall, alert and ready. What they saw was one tall, lanky boy being chased by one tiny yellow rat. Except it wasn’t a rat, it was large headed, yellow and small tailed. Ashe had never seen one before but she’d studied enough to recognise a pichu when she saw one. Electric type. Weak to ground and strong against flying and water. Judging from the size and maturation of it’s features it was probably a low level, nothing above five. She wrenched her fascination away from the small Pokémon and returned to the boy who was still screaming.  
The boy was tall and lanky, he wore a strange mixture of clothes that were almost painfully bright to look at. A contorted expression was plastered to his face. In stark contrast, the look on the face of the pichu displayed nothing but innocent glee as he engaged in a short game of chase.  
“Heeeeelp!” He cried, ripping further and further down the corridor. Ashe jumped forward, her mind running with thoughts. It was a pichu, electric stored in the cheeks and discharges commonly through the tail so she should probably aim for its back of the neck.  
The two were running, but she could tell they were starting to lose steam whereas she was running flat out. Time seemed to slow down in that instant. All the people who had emerged from rooms to find the cause of the noise - her classmates - were looking at her as it she were crazy. It crossed her mind she very well might be. Sure, it was a low level and she knew which part to aim for to avoid being hurt, but she was going to anger a Pokémon. People had been killed by Pokémon for much less, Ashe knew this because it was l anyone ever saw on the news. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she'd die from electric shock. The tall boy being chased by a small creature didn't seem quite as funny anymore.  
She dived towards it, it was so close to the ground she couldn't just bend over. For a second she hung in the air as the large eyes of the Pichu began to turn back towards her. It didn't seem as vicious as she'd previously thought.  
She hit the ground at the same time she grasped hold of the scruff of its neck. A collective gasp ran out through the onlookers. The boy who was being chased skid to a halt, a look of disbelief on his face. A sudden thick quietness fell over the crowd. The little pichu's legs continued to paddle until he realised he wasn't getting anywhere. He looked around confused for a moment until meeting Ashe's eyes and smiling.  
"Ashe, put it-" Started her roommate.  
"Put it down, kid." said a deep voice coming from the stairwell. 

The teacher who had interrupted them was a large, bulky man who wore some kind of martial arts uniform. She wasn't sure why as it hardly seemed the temperature for it, but now wasn't the time to question it. He had sent everyone away back to there rooms and took the Pichu off Ashe without a word. He had told her and the boy he was taking them to the headmaster's office and said no more for the rest of the journey. They both now sat in a small waiting room, it's walls a dull cream colour and it's only features some tables and chairs.  
Ashe hadn't noticed much of that though. All she could think of was the one express rule they had all been given not an hour ago. They were not to touch or interact with any of the Pokémon. She had broken the single rule.  
How long had she been working? Training? Striving to get in to this school even when everything had seemed against her and she'd just thrown that all away on instinct.  
She wished the Pichu had just killed her and saved her all this trouble.  
Except the more she looked at it the less wary she got. The teacher had put it into a rubber cage for safe transport and left it with the boy. It had been dismayed for a moment, it's big eyes searching around for a reason why someone wanted to lock it away. Now it slept peacefully in the cage, it's tiny chest heaving a slow and gentle in and out of breath. It seemed so at peace. Had she really thought that boy had been in trouble from such a small thing?  
She slapped herself back to reality. Of course he'd been in danger. There were reports constantly of Pokémon being smuggled or incorrectly handled killing any nearby humans. In some extreme cases newborn Pokémon killed there breeders simply because they didn't have control over there own powers yet. But still, looking at such a peaceful creature…  
The door opened. In the doorway stood a tall man in a crisp dark suit. His face was tall and lean, a pair of glasses leaning against his nose. A long grey coat of hair was pulled backwards in a ponytail so tight it seemed to be trying to pull his wrinkles straight. His two sharp eyebrows sat slanted in an angry look at the two students. His hands lay on a tall intricately marked mahogany cane which was tipped with a round ba on the top.  
"Step into my office." He said in a calm tone, before taking a slow step back into his office. Ashe and the boy exchanged a look.  
The office was much like the waiting room. A singular dark wood desk sat in the middle of the room adorned with myriad stacks of paper, a fountain pen and a singular picture frame angled away from them. The walls weren't bare though as each inch of them was covered in bookshelves, each one overflowing.  
"Ashe. Claude. Take a seat.” There was no argument. They took a seat. “Classes have not started yet and it appears we already have two troublemakers in our midst.”  
“That’s not true, I was only trying to-” Ashe began, but was quickly silenced by there teacher. Curiously, he didn’t say anything to make her quieten. He just stared at her with a frightening intensity.  
“I don’t care what led to this chain of events, only that they happened in the most prodigious academy in all of Akiro. This is the only school that is allowed to train people to work with Pokémon. I can’t have you two making a mockery of my school by making trouble even before your first class. You are ruining our reputation, and without our reputation we are nothing. Do you understand?” The boy, Claude, nodded weakly. Ashe noticed this and hurriedly did the same. “Tell me what happened.”  
It was Claude that spoke up first. “It was my fault, sir. When everyone else was heading over to there rooms, I wanted to sneak away and do something without anyone seeing.” The headmaster raised a singular imposing eyebrow. “I… Wanted to look at the cute baby Pokémon. There used to be a breeding centre near my hometown I used to visit when I was a kid because they were cute. It closed down in the latest cut two or three years ago.” Ashe knew what he was talking about. Every few years the government had a Pokémon cut. Her grandma said she could remember when these only began to take effect when she was a child, when the government had taken away Pokémon from ony the most uneducated. They said it was for there own safety. Slowly, Pokémon had been taken away from the poor, saying they would only use them to commit crimes, and then the middle class when the amount of Pokémon accident related deaths began to rise. This had all led to today, when only Pallet Academy students and graduates could work with them, and they were only owned by the most elite.  
“Anyway, it’s just something me and my sister used to do. I missed it. I just wanted to feel that feeling again. Unfortunately I’m something of a techie-” He gestured to several devices on her body Ashe had previously been too busy or ashamed to notice. Headphones lay across his neck, a phone was in one pocket and a gaming system in the other, with a laptop in a messenger bag slung across his shoulders. “So I think this little one was attracted to the electric. I knew I couldn’t let it get to the devices because it could hurt me or I could get in trouble for interacting with them before we were permitted, so I ran. I thought I could escape it up some stairs but it was able to follow me to the dormitories. That’s when she saved me. It was my fault.”  
“Is this true?” He asked. They both began to answer but he waved away what they were starting to say. Instead he focused on the pichu in the case for a while. It jumped up, startled by the attention. “Pi, pi-pi pi!” It launched into what seemed to be a rant. The headmaster nodded the whole time. Finally it finished and grew quiet. The headmaster hesitated for a moment before opening up the cage that was in Claude’s hands. It leapt out excitedly into Claude’s lap. As Claude screamed in a tone that Ashe was becoming frighteningly familiar with, the little pichu scuttled up his torso before resting on his head. Ashe thought she saw a smile flash across the headmasters face but dismissed it quickly. “What you said checked out.” He said, then let silence sit in between the three for a moment.  
The electric rat had carved out a bed in Claude’s nest of yellow bed and had returned to his slumber. Claude sat completely still as if he was terrified of moving and aggravating it. Ashe found it hard to believe that she’d been scared of that, but factually she knew she was right to be. The headmaster walked around the table and gently picked it up, cradling it in his hands.  
The headmaster sat silent for a long minute, sitting straight in his chair inspecting each inch of the expressions on both of there faces. Finally he breathed in and answered them “If I had it my way you would both be out of here before you could next take a breath. I am not. If anything happens before the official start of the term there is no grounds for expulsion. However, you have both been noted as trouble. If I so much as see another toe out of line from either of you I will not hesitate to expel you.” Ashe gulped. Claude fidgeted.  
“Now, I want you both out of my office. Know that if you ever see these four walls again it will be because you are about to be expelled. Goodbye.”

Ashe returned to an empty room. The lights were off and it was cold. There were no windws this deep into the castle, giving the impression it was later than it was. She rooted around in her luggage, finding her clothes and a few scant textbooks. It was the latter she pulled out. She didn’t want to go outside in fear of giving more fodder to the staff of why they should get rid of her, so she just sat around her room. She found herself sitting at a small desk, going over incredibly basic type charts. It was something she’d studied when she was a kid, years ago. It was the most basic of basic which meant it was oddly relaxing to her to go over such simple facts. Water beats fire, fire beats grass and grass beats water. Stuff that any five year old could tell you.  
After a while she started to drift away from what she was focusing on. Her mind was desperately trying to process all the information she’d been fed over the day. The headmaster had been terrifying, but it’s what she’d expected. He hadn’t introduced himself, but it was because he’d needed no introduction. He’d reached his position by being one of the most prolific trainers of his time, beating the 6 gyms and even challenging the elite 4 in record times. The reason for this being was the rumor he had some innate ability to read Pokémon. Everyone sort of accepted it as fact, he’d been seen doing it many times but he’d never publicly proved the ability. She suspected when he let the pichu out he was doing just that- reading it to see if their story was true.  
She heard the door open. Looking at the clock on her phone, she saw it had gotten seriously late. She wasn’t used to living so close to other people, so she jumped up and inspected it out of habit. Stepping into the small communal area between both of their bedrooms, she met eyes with her roommate.  
“Rissa.” Ashe said  
"Ashe.” Rissa said.  
They stood in silence for a moment, neither sure what to say. Neither seemingly wanting to have to talk to the other at all.  
“It was cool, by the way.” Rissa said. “What you did for that kid running through the hallway. You stepped in to help someone weak and defenseless. Not many people would do that. I just wanted to say that. Sorry.”  
“Thanks. And don’t be sorry, I just kind of did it. I didn’t mean to do it or anything, I just kind of found it happening.” Ashe cursed herself for being so candid with this girl she hardly knew. Nevertheless, she couldn’t stop herself. “Thank you. Really, that means a lot, since everyone was kind of against me on that.”  
The two stood, staring at each other. “Goodnight.” Ashe said. The other girl nodded. They both made there ways towards there respective rooms, Ashe settling in for the night. She could hardly quell her stomach at the thought of the next day and her first day of learning, even if she was terrified they’d kick her out for answering some question wrong. She resolved, in that moment, to make sure she never gave them a reason to kick her out.  
The night stretched into day.


End file.
